Being Bella Swan
by KillerOutside
Summary: Isabella Swan moves from Phoenix to live with Charlie and attend Forks Academy. Shy, insecure, and intimidated, she invents Bella Swan, her confident, seductive, sexy alter ego to deal with advances from Edward Cullen.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so here's my first chapter in my first story. It's got rich, sarcastic, dickward who is my favorite ever, and nervous, easily persuaded, hoping to fit in Bella who is fun to write. I also can't wait to develope Alice in this story because I think it's a neat twist on her that I've not seen written before. PLEASE let me know if you love it, like it, dislike it, or hate it. I'd love your input!**

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**EPOV**

The stupid signs had been posted around town for a week now. Who the fuck cared? No one had ever raised enough money for any charity to ever make a difference. Jesus. They always asked for more. Always wanted more of the money they couldn't earn. They could probably save themselves a ton of fucking money and not have signs printed and posted on every god damned telephone pole in this town. Port Angeles Humane Society Dog wash. A dog wash. What a ridiculous idea. Who took their dogs to be bathed by amature groomers in a parking lot?

I was slumped in the passenger seat of Jasper's recently purchased MGB while I contemplated the Port Angeles dog wash signs. It stank. Smelled like piss. The shelter and the car. I'd already mentioned this to him more than once. Now we were driving it from Forks out to Port Angeles to get it detailed. Detailing was not going to help this shit. What it needed was to be burned. Torched. I was going to smell like this for days.

Maybe I could get those hippy dog wash girls to give me a bath. I lifted my head from my hand and looked over at Jasper. That smug bastard. He thought everyone was staring at him in his new shit car. He had his elbow cocked out the window and his hair was whipping around in the whirlwind the slashed convertible top was letting in. The stereo wasn't even working, but he was bobbing his head.

"You're fucking stupid, dude. I can't believe you think this shitass car is going to get you laid," I was hot and sweaty and irritable and I didn't even have time to grab a bong hit before he'd hustled me out of the house like a girl on her way to prom.

"There's more to life than getting laid," he said as he lifted his fingers and palmed the wheel to the right into the parking lot of his 'car guy' Earnesto's establishment.

"Not much more. It's up there with breathing and drinking. Both of which I am currently unable to do, by the way. Did I mention your recent acquisition smells like a fucking hobo?"

He punched my arm and put on the parking brake. "You've mentioned it." He climbed out of the car and I hurled myself at the door to try and open it. "Your fucking piece of shit car door is stuck closed."

Jasper sighed and came around to the passenger side, leaning in the window. "How about you just make sure no one steals my sweet ride and I'll buy you a bottle of Rumple Minz so you can use it to get into someone's pants at Em's bash this evening."

Free liquor for sitting in a shitty car? I'll take it. I didn't even nod at him, just turned to face forward and leaned back. There was no headrest. "Oh, Jesus."

Jasper was already walking inside. Christ. What a shitty day. I lifted my hips and grabbed my cigarette box from my pocket. Placing one between my lips, I turned away from the wind tunnel to light it and saw the ASPCA hippies out in the parking lot across the street. Chicks in bathing suits. I stared for a moment and then flicked my thumb against the lighter. To be honest, I was a little terrified that the whole car would go up in flames. I could really smell gas. So far so good, though. I stashed the lighter back in my pocket and squished my long legs up, crawling across the small car. "Oh, what the fuck. This is a fucking clown car!" My cigarette was bouncing with my words, and just as I pushed the driver's side door open and freed my left leg, my body was jerked back by my wallet chain getting stuck on the gearshift. My cigarette dropped out of my lips and I frantically grabbed for it, burning my right hand before sticking it back in my mouth as if nothing had happened. The cherry was gone somewhere in Jasper's car and I quickly reached back to unhook myself in case the whole fucking rig blew up.

If this wasn't the least graceful shit I've ever pulled in my fucking life. I looked up quickly and noted that a few of the hippies were staring. Oh Jesus. Fuck me. I gave a little wave and slammed the car door, stalking inside Earnesto's. I pushed my Ray Ban's up on top of my head and let my eyes adjust to the darkness of his shop. Jasper was off in the corner trailing his fingers along a Mustang like it was some girl he was trying to bed. He was talking to the owner, but I couldn't hear him over the sound of revving engines. Jasper could have any fucking car he wanted. His parents, my parents, all my friends' parents were all part of the old money in Forks. I don't know why he chose to rehab junkers. He was the strangest fucker.

I flipped down my sunglasses again and walked outside, relighting my cigarette and leaning against the building. I was blatantly staring at the girls across the street now. They'd gone back to their business of waving poster board signs and soaping up Golden Retrievers. Who wastes a summer day getting covered in wet dog hair? I decided to get a closer look. God only knows how long Jasper would be in there. I tossed my cigarette to the ground and stepped on it once as I started out towards the parking lot of the Barnes & Noble. Scoping chicks in bikinis was better than waiting alone against a building.

I waited on the sidewalk for traffic. One of the two girls holding a poster board was watching me out of the corner of her eye. Of fucking course she was. And since I'm such a smug bastard, I raised my sunglasses and stared at her with a bit of a sly grin. She quickly averted her eyes and pretended not to stare. I ambled across two lanes of traffic and stood in the median with my legs slightly parted and my hands in my pockets, waiting for the light to turn red so I could cross the last two lanes. From here, I could see that the girls weren't even close to being hippies. Oh, where was Emmett. He would kill to see this shit. I pulled my iPhone out of my pocket and dialed that bitch.

"ALLo," he answered with a grunt on the third ring.

"Emmett, you need to be here right now."

"Well, Edward, I know your feelings for me are strong but I'm a bit fucking preoccupied right now." That bastard. I'd bet Jasper's piece that that fucker was getting head when he answered the phone.

"Drop the ditz, Em. I've got a hot lead on some bitches with dogs."

He was quiet for a beat and inhaled sharply. "Would you say... would you say they're in heat?"

I looked back over at the group of girls and laughed. They looked to be about our age. Some of them maybe a bit older. Definitely not Forks Academy girls. I could have told you that before I saw them, though. Forks girls didn't go around washing other people's dogs. Or their own for that matter. "I'd say they're at least fun to look at. Probably wouldn't stick my dick in any of them because I'm a snobby prick, but you are less discriminating than I am. You fucked Jessica Stanley."

"You always bring that shit up. She took advantage of me while I was passed out."

"Passed out with a hard cock? Moaning her name while she rode you on the kitchen - Hello?" Little bitch hung up on me. He never could take the heat. Guess it's just me, then. I weaved between the two lanes of stopped traffic and approached the pale chick in the black bikini with a smile.

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**BPOV**

So, a dog wash was a bit lame, but animal-fanatic, new-BFF Alice really thought it was a great idea. And seeing as I didn't know anyone in this tiny town yet, I figured it would be a great way to meet some of my new Forks Academy classmates. Unfortunately, Alice wasn't friends with any Forks Academy people. She is the only person, other than me, from Forks Academy at this humane society sponsored event. The rest of them were from the public high school, where it didn't matter if you were seen washing someone else's dog. She didn't seem to care that none of the other kids from Forks A would be seen doing any sort of ACTUAL charity work. They just attended charity events where all the food was paid for and they could one-up each other with their designer clothing. Alice was different. And now if anyone saw us here together, I would be different, too.

Of course it was my luck that I got stuck as a sign holder. Having to stand out on the sidewalk and wave at every passing car was absolutely sealing my fate as Alice's crazy new friend from Phoenix. At least I might get a tan before school on Monday. If I was really lucky, I'd be hit by a car. Traffic was stopped at a red light in front of us, and in an effort to avoid eye contact with everyone who I was sure was staring at us, I looked across the street in time to see a tall boy scrambling out of a small car. It was difficult to say what he looked like from across the street, but the sun was glinting off of his coppery hair. It was a color people paid a ton of money to imitate. Was it my imagination or was he staring back at me. I looked behind me and most people were still scrubbing ill-behaved dogs. I looked back and the boy gave a little wave. I glanced away quickly, my heart beating.

"Ugh. Do you want something to drink? It's, like, ridiculously hot." The girl beside me had her hands on her hips, her sign leaning against her legs. She was nice enough. I think her name was Tanya.

"Oh, sure. That'd be great, thanks." I smiled half-heartedly and looked back towards the parking lot. The boy was gone. Ah, well. Traffic was moving again so I held my sign up, waiting for Tanya to get back with my drink. I looked behind me to see where she was. She was coming down the grassy embankment holding two sodas stacked on top of each other and the poster board in her other hand. I dropped my sign and grabbed the two cokes to let her have a free hand.

"Thanks! It's cool that they're giving us free drinks for this." She took her coke from my hand and smiled. I hadn't told her I was attending Forks Academy where they pay you to come to their benefits. I cracked a smile and then my soda and nodded at her. I was holding my sign upright against my leg when I noticed the same boy standing in the median of the road. I took a sip of my coke and pretended I hadn't noticed him.

Tanya noticed for me. "Oh, snob alert," she said as she arched her eyebrows. "High class Em-Effer walking our way." Did she actually say 'Em-Effer'? Oh, Jesus. I laughed and made to turn around, but came face to face with the boy. Oh, he was beautiful. His eyes were covered by completely black Ray-Bans. There was a hint of stubble on his square jaw, and his hair was a controlled mess. He wore a tight black t-shirt that showed off exactly how fit he was.

I raised my coke at him in a toast of some sort. "Hello." Well great! I had managed to speak. He was smiling when he walked up and it hadn't left his face. It was more of a smirk, really. He honestly seemed a bit scary, smiling like that without being able to see his eyes.

"Uh. Did you need your dog washed?" Oh, Christ. Really? That's not going to end well. I tried to keep my face straight, but even I could see what was about to happen. I laughed nervously and his grin widened. He pushed his sunglasses up onto his head and stared down at me. I think he was looking at my tits. I stared back up into his impossibly green eyes, waiting for him to say the snappy comeback I know he was getting ready to say. Nobody lets a comedic set up like that get away from them. But he did.

"No, actually. I don't own a dog. I just came over to get a closer look at you."

My coke can froze at my lips and when I regained my composure I looked over my shoulder for Alice. I'd never encountered anything like this before and I wasn't sure I knew how to deal with the situation. How do you respond to the beautiful boy who's tossing around compliments while you're surrounded by the smell of wet dogs? Tanya came to the rescue.

"I'm sure she'd be willing to take a donation from you anyway, right Bella?" Tanya was still holding her sign up, her coke was leaving a wet ring on the sidewalk. Who knew it got so hot in such a dark, rainy little town?

I finally came to my senses. "Oh, yeah, of course." He was staring at me and I wasn't sure if he'd even blinked yet. Were people this intense here? He made me nervous. "I think the least you could do for staring at my tits is donate to a cause they believe in." Get attention from one cute boy and all of a sudden I'm a witty comeback machine.

"You should write that on your sign because I bet I'm not the only one who's done it today." He raised his eyebrows at me and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. A drip from my sweating soda ran down my hand and I reached to wipe it on my thigh. His eyes followed me and I smiled at him quickly, cocking my hip out to the side.

"So you really did just come over to get a closer look. You didn't think of anything to say while you were walking over here?" I probably shouldn't get my hopes up. This guy seemed like he had little respect for anything female and he surely didn't seem like someone that my police chief dad would like to see me hanging out with. I'm sure he really did just come over to get a look at some bikini bodies and thinking about Charlie meeting him was a ridiculous notion that would never happen.

He shrugged and glanced up the hill towards the dog wash. "I really did." He shaded his eyes with his hand and held up a finger to me. Then he walked up the grassy hill, his wallet chain clinking against itself. I let myself stare at his butt. He walked straight up to Alice.

"Well, well. Of course you'd be here." Alice whipped around, her hands covered in soap and hair. She was glaring.

I put my coke on the sidewalk and propped my sign up on the hill as I climbed up, leaving Tanya alone. This kid knew Alice. This would either be great for me or horrible for everyone.

Alice shook her hands and picked up the hose. She cleaned one hand first, then the other before she responded. "I just like to do my part, Edward. It's better than sitting in a stuffy ballroom eating food that costs more than the charity gets in donations per year."

"I disagree, Alice. I really enjoy sitting in stuffy ballrooms eating food made from animals you're trying to save." Alice's face turned red and I stepped towards her just as she turned the hose on Edward.

He sputtered and his fingers were splayed at his sides. His hair was soaked, stuck to his forehead, and beads of water were dripping down his neck. I grabbed the hose from Alice and pointed it back towards the asphalt. "Alice! I'm so sorry... Edward, was it? I'm so sorry!" I dropped the hose and grabbed Alice's arm, leading her away as I apologized.

"You fucking cunt!" He was holding his wet shirt away from his chest, glaring at Alice. She was laughing and letting me lead her away. "I'll see you Monday, and we'll see who's getting the last fucking laugh."

He walked away from us, back towards the car he had crawled out of, and I winced. So, my chances were pretty much blown. I looked over my shoulder as he was slipping his shirt over his head. His pants were belted low and he had a tattoo on his upper left arm. Alice was still laughing and I dropped her arm. "So you know him from the Academy?"

"Oh yeah. Him and all of his stuck up, egotistical, rich friends," she spat.

"Spectacular." I had my arms folded. Alice nodded. She thought I was being as angry about rich, egotistical assholes as she was, but I was beyond pissed at her. Alice just fucked my chance at making friends with anyone that mattered at this new school.

"Don't let him fool you, Bella. I saw how you were looking at him. He's not someone you want to get involved with." She was running her hands down her arms in an attempt to get some of the dog hair off. "He's a womanizing man-slut."

I laughed and sat down beside her on the concrete. "Man-slut."

"I'm serious, Bella. You don't want to go there. You're not that type of girl."

I stared at a sparkle on the asphault and shrugged my shoulders. Maybe here in a new town with a new beginning I WAS that type of girl.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nice! I wasn't expecting any reviews for the first chapter. You guys have really outdone yourselves. I guess I better make this story worth your time. Thanks to everyone who's put this on alert or favorited it. :)**

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**EPOV**

That was some fucking shit. Hosed by the Forks Geek Squad. Team of One. That made me laugh to myself. So now I'm drenched and laughing at nothing on the wrong side of town. Awesome day. Great way to start the school year. I put my sunglasses back on top of my head and swung my drenched shirt over my shoulder. Thank god it was just a Gap t-shirt. Fucking Alice. One more glance back over my shoulder to see if they were looking. Bella was seated beside Alice, staring at the asphalt. She wasn't bad looking. I swung my glasses back down and crossed the road. If she wasn't a low class dog washer I might pay her more attention.

When I got to the hobo-stank car, I ripped open the driver's side door and sank into the driver's seat with my legs hanging out the door. Some fucking shit. Earnesto's garage door was closed, too. This was going to take forever. Seeing as I'd just been given an impromptu shower, I needed to get back home to re-prepare for tonight's get-together. Jasper was obviously not coming out until it was time for the party. Probably making sweet, sweet love to the tailpipe of the 'stang he was feeling up earlier. I scrolled through my iPhone again for Emmett. It rang three times before he picked up.

"Twice in an hour, Cullen. You must want me bad."

"Yeah, listen, I need a ride. I'm at Jasper's car guy's shop in the next town. There's a bikini party in it for you if you show up before 4."

"Is this the same bikini dog party you were drooling over earlier?" He laughed at his own joke. And then explained it. "Dog party. Drooling!"

I sighed into the phone. "Look. I just got sprayed with a hose by the crazy public school dog wash goody goodies and I need a fucking ride."

"Ah, this seems to good to miss out on. I'm 'bout to bounce your way. Sit tight." The phone went dead again. Does no one in this town ever dismiss a call with a goodbye?

I shoved my phone back in my pocket and put my chin in my hand, staring across the road at the girls. Bella was the only translucent girl in a black bikini, so she wasn't hard to miss. She was laughing and her hair was falling on her back. They were probably all talking about the low, low prices at the local Wal-Mart. Most of those bathing suits came from there, with their plastic rings and out of date patterns. Hideous. And there was Alice, elbow deep in an Old English Sheepdog, with her barely there tits and her ridiculous hair. What kind of Forks Academy chick with rich parents doesn't have breast implants by now?

I was pulled from my thoughts by the honk of a horn. Emmett and his girl filled Jeep were cruising into the parking lot. He stood up in his seat, still gripping the steering wheel and pumped his fist in the air. I rolled my eyes and stood up, grabbing hold of the doorless vehicle and swung myself inside before it came to a complete stop. I left the door to Jasper's car wide open. As if anyone would dream of ripping it off anyway. I took the time to light a cigarette before the wind got bad and inhaled deeply. "Thanks Emmett." I turned slightly towards the back seat. "Ladies." I gave them a small nod and turned back to Emmett. "So why'd you bring the broads?"

Emmett smiled and peeled out of the parking lot. I grabbed onto the bar on the dashboard and braced my feet against the side panel. "I thought we'd show the Forks High girls what real girls are like."

I ran my hands through my hair and stared back at him. Now it was going to look like I was coming back with re-enforcements. "Emmett, I really have to head home to get ready. I can't show up looking like this."

He finally looked over at me and laughed. "What, got to make sure your makeup is done? Going to get your hair did? What the hell happened, anyway?"

"I fucking told you I got sprayed by the dog washing chicks. I have to go change. Let's just fucking go home."

The girls in the back snickered. Jesus, that really pissed me off. I twisted in my seat to stare back at them and they shut up pretty fast. If we kicked them out of this car, their fates for this year were sealed forever. If they kept themselves around long enough to show up with us to the back to school party then they were in. I knew Emmett was taking them no matter what, but they didn't know that, so I still had the power.

"So, you're saying that they all just turned their hoses on you and soaked you like one of their pups?" He was pulling into their parking lot now. "Did you give them a good tip for the scrub down?" He wasn't even trying to keep a straight face.

"No, it was just one of them. It was fucking Alice Brandon. I don't want to talk about it." I fanned my shirt in the air a bit and pushed my arms through, sliding it over my head and down my torso. It was dry enough now. Emmett was laughing, of fucking course.

"Alice hosed you down? What the hell did you do? That's not really her style is it? Usually she just flings insults back at you." He put on the parking brake and turned to face me directly. I just shrugged and stared past him. Team Dog Wash was staring at us, probably because Emmett had his horrible music bumping loud enough to drown out their hand held radio.

Emmett twisted around again to look at the public school chicks and laughed. "Jesus, who's the ghost chick?"

I scratched at my face and tried to look indifferent. "Her name's Bella. She's friends with Alice." I didn't want to get into the details.

"Well, she's got a bangin' body despite being see through." He split his fingers and poked his tongue through them at her. One of the girls in the back seat laughed as Bella spun around, ignoring them all. "Oh, that shit ain't cool. She just brushed me off." He leaped out of the Jeep.

"Fuck, Emmett, what the hell are you doing. She's Forks High material and she hangs out with Alice Brandon. Two strikes, man." And, as an afterthought, even though it wasn't so bad, I added, "She's fucking pale. Three strikes. She's out." I was following him across the parking lot. The girls in the back seat refused to leave it in case they were replaced while they stretched their legs. Who knows how long they'd been sitting in those seats, waiting it out.

All of the girls were staring at us now as we walked across the lot. We were probably an awkward looking pair, but I doubt that's why they were staring. Shit was about to go down. The hoses were safely draped over a bucket. I was cocky enough to think I wouldn't get sprayed twice. I still had a cigarette hanging between my lips and I pulled it out with my thumb and index finger, exhaling smoke as we reached the line up of bikini babes. Emmett sidled up to Bella and put his arm around her. I saw her eyes flicker to Alice and Alice crossed her arms. Bella ducked out from underneath his arm as if on cue from Alice, but then she actually smiled up at him. I pretended to examine traffic patterns so I wouldn't be caught staring at Forks High chick's tits for too long.

"Can I help you?" She was folding her arms and jutting her hip out to the side. Her toenails were painted black. Oh, she was cocky. She was new. She didn't know who she was fucking with. She stared up at him with an 'eat shit' look on her face.

Emmett smiled down at her. "Yeah. You see that Jeep over there? It's got two girls in the back, but they've got nothing on you. There's a party tonight and I always have the prettiest girl in Forks on my arm."

That shook her, I could see. Her face kind of fell a bit, and she faltered. I took another drag on my cigarette and looked down at the asphalt. All the other bitches were staring at our exchange and pretending they weren't. She glanced back over at Alice and Alice shook her head an imperceptible amount.

Bella either didn't see the headshake or she didn't care because she shrugged her shoulders and when I looked up she was smiling at Emmett. "You can pick me up at my dad's house. You know him. He's the chief of police. Charlie Swan. I'm sure you've met before."

I almost choked on my fucking cigarette, I was laughing so hard. Sassy little cunt. Now it was Emmett's turn to falter. "Yeah. I'll pick you up at seven. Wear something revealing." And he punched me in my shoulder. I stumbled back a bit because that fucker is about 250 pounds of roid rage, but I didn't stop laughing. I inhaled another drag and smashed my smoke out on the pavement. Emmett was already walking towards the car, so I waved over my shoulder at the chicks and followed him back.

Once we were settled in the Jeep and he couldn't kick me out, I asked what was on my mind. "So, are you really taking a Forks High bitch to a Forks Academy party?" The girls in the back exchanged glances and made a throaty noise of disgust. As if they were any better. What the fuck were their names? I've seen them around for the past 3 years, but never asked. I still didn't care, but it was pretty obnoxious to have them hanging around while I was trying to acquire information.

Emmett shifted gears and swerved around an old lady in a Crown Vic, mumbling something to himself as we headed back to Forks. "Oh, fuck no. What do you think I am? I have standards to uphold."

I nodded and turned to face the road. "She was bangin, though."

"Shit, yeah. I'd tap it if no one would find out." I nodded again and propped my foot up on the dashboard.

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**BPOV**

"So, you do know he isn't going to pick you up tonight, right?" Alice was staring at me like I was something her cat puked up.

"Uh, yeah. I pretty much figured I'd driven him off by telling him my dad was the chief of police." Hello. As if I wanted to hang with that creepy jock and his appallingly smokey …sexy… sidekick. I smiled at Alice and started helping pack up all the shampoos and grooming equipment.

"Well, I'm going to the party tonight, so if you want to ride with me, you're more than welcome to." I looked over at Alice questioningly and swept my hair up into a messy ponytail.

"I always go. It's usually pretty good fun to hang out and watch all the other kids make fools of themselves and pass out in bushes."

I think she was pretty much asking me if I would accompany her so she wouldn't be sitting alone on the couch this year. I had a feeling that's what usually happened to Alice Brandon at parties. And for Isabella Swan, that was the usual, too. Except I never even got invited to parties back in Phoenix. So if I were ever invited to a party, that would be the usual.

"Yeah, I'll come with. It sounds better than sitting at home trying to cram in all of my summer reading into one night." I tossed a shampoo bottle into a tackle box and put my hands on my hips. "Where's the party?"

Alice straightened up and brushed her hair out of her face. "It's at Emmett's – the 300 pound moose that just accosted you? His parent's mansion."

I tried to hide my excitement. If the moose was going to be there, Edward was, too. Apparently I'm no good at masking my emotions because Alice looked suddenly incredulous and she grabbed my upper arm. "I can't believe you're thinking about him."

I feigned innocence. "Thinking about who?"

"You actually have a thing for Emmett?"

"Oh, Jesus, no! No way." I didn't have to fake my disgust. I guess that satisfied her because she let go of my arm and grabbed her yellow tackle box, decorated with ASPCA stickers. My secret was safe for now. I picked up our towels and we headed back to her car to tug on our clothes.

I cleared my throat and tossed her supplies into the trunk. "So, thanks for inviting me out. It's nice to at least know someone before I get tossed into the pit of despair that is high school."

She laughed and tugged her shirt over her bathing suit top. "You bet. Thanks for coming. I think it was a pretty big success. I'll have the totals of what we raised tomorrow. It's such a great cause. I mean, who doesn't want to help puppies?"

Oh, Alice. She was really going to be a downer on the new Bella Swan persona I was brewing up. It was pretty obvious no one really thought she fit in.

"How about you just drop me off at home and I can pick you up once we're both ready and drive us to the party? I mean, you've been driving me everywhere this week."

"Sounds good." She slid behind the wheel of her Ford Escort and I hopped in the passenger seat. We waved to the few girls that were left behind and headed back to Forks.

I was ready to reinvent myself.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so excited because I just figured out how to write my first lemon. Hurrah! It's going to be pretty exciting. Sorry it won't be for a few chapters. I like to keep you panting. This chapter is mostly set-up, so there's not a ton of action. Sorry about that. Enjoy it anyway, or I wont give you chapter 4.  
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**BPOV**

Right after Alice's Ford rounded the corner I hopped in my beater and headed down the road to the closest CVS. I was going to need the basics. Eyeliner, foundation, blush… Someone to show me how to use it all. Oh my god, what am I doing? I pulled into a parking space and cut the engine, putting my forehead on the steering wheel. After a few deep breaths, I sat straight up. How the hell was I going to make it through the party if I couldn't even buy the supplies? Suck it up. It was time to finally have some fun with my life.

I walked through the electric doors and squinted at the signs above the aisles. I started towards the aisle labeled 'Beauty products' and then turned around to grab a basket. I was pretty sure I was going to need one.

The first obstacle was the eyelash curler. It's really freaking intimidating. I could probably call my mom. She was sporty, but she did know how to get dolled up. I dialed her number and stared down the aisle. It looked like I was having a bad case of tunnel vision. Just as I was about to hang up and buy one of everything, just in case, Renee answered.

"Mom! Okay. I'm going out with a few friends tonight and I need some advice." I glanced behind me to make sure no one was here to witness my absolutely awkward conversation with my mother about how I had no idea what to do with an eyelash curler or which brush was best for applying blush.

"Are there going to be boys there? Oh, you have a date, don't you!" I rolled my eyes and noticed a blond haired girl standing at the far end of the aisle. I turned back towards the exit and lowered my voice.

"No, mom. No date. I'm going with my friend Alice and I just wanted to, you know, dress up a bit. For the school. To give a good impression." I was struggling not to reveal too much. I didn't want to get into anything specific in the middle of a drugstore. "I just wanted to know which…brand of makeup was the best." That should at least narrow it down to one section of the huge aisle.

"Oh, sure, honey. I would go with Neutrogena. It's very natural and light. It's perfect for your already flawless face." I could practically hear her beaming over the phone. The fact that I asked her about makeup was a huge step for us. Usually I tried to share things like my favorite books with her, and I always turned down her numerous offers to go shopping.

"Ah, thanks, mom. I appreciate the help. I'll talk to you later. Love you." I was already hanging up the phone. I knew I didn't want natural and light, so at least I'd narrowed it down to all the sections besides Neutrogena.

I headed towards some brightly colored packages and passed the blond girl on my left. We nodded at each other before she turned back to the display of magazines in front of her. How intimidating was this. I'm standing in front of some beautiful, leggy blond trying to figure out what kind of makeup to buy. I stared at the rack hoping something would jump out at me. A magazine rustled behind me and I reached out to grab a liquid eyeliner. My hands were sweating. The girl scoffed behind me.

"Are you actually buying makeup from a drug store?"

I froze and closed my eyes, then plastered a smile on my face before I turned around. "Oh, yeah. As you can see I'm having a bit of a makeup emergency." I waved the eyeliner in front of my blank canvass of a face. "I just moved here and I can't find ANY of my makeup. I also can't find the mall…" The lies were just coming so easily.

She smiled, but it was really more of a sneer. Her perfectly manicured fingers plucked the eyeliner from my hand and placed it back on a random hook. "Okay, first, I can't let you do that to yourself. That isn't even true black." She glanced at her dainty watch and looked back up at me. "Do you have time? The mall isn't too far away. I have about an hour and a half to kill before I have to be somewhere. And really, I can't leave you here to buy that shit."

I raised a never-plucked eyebrow. "Do you do this often? Pick up random strangers who are about to make fatal makeup decisions and whisk them away to the land of Clinique?" I smiled at her and she laughed.

"No. Well, I usually know the person I'm making over, but I'll make an exception for you, since you're new in town." I nodded and walked with her to the counter. She bought her hair magazine and I put my basket away. As we walked out together, we passed my rusted, red truck and walked to her silver Volvo. I glanced up at her quickly as she started the car with the press of a button. How old was this girl? What was I doing hopping in the car with some stranger?

"Uh, what's your name?" I had my hand on the door handle, but didn't open it.

"Rosalie Hale. Do you want to tell someone you're with me?" She laughed now and got in the car. The smart thing was probably to tell Charlie or Alice, but she'd totally called me out and I didn't want her to think I thought she was some crazy, beautiful murderess. Even if I did.

I slid into the passenger seat and clutched my bag in my lap. "My name is Bella." I didn't want to give my last name in case she knew my dad. Red Hot Chili Peppers was playing too loudly to converse much. Plus, it was a short ride. We were there in about ten minutes, standing in front of Sephora. The girls working the booth seemed to steer clear of my new friend. I could only assume they figured she knew what she was looking for. It's not like they could give her advice.

She was testing a few things against my skin and then throwing them either back in their bins or into a small basket. I could only hope she was going to put it all on me as well.

"Now, this is all just the basics until you find your stash, of course."

"Oh, yeah, of course." I picked up a random eyeshadow and threw it in the basket to make it look like I knew what I liked. "I think I'll just need a few more things… do you know where the eyelash curlers are?"

She held up a finger and nodded, then walked off to grab one. I took a chance to peek in my basket. It looked like a skittles commercial. All the colors were present. How the heck would I know which ones went together? My heart started to beat faster and my cell phone rang. It was Alice. Rosalie was coming back around the corner so I answered my phone to make it look like I had friends.

"Hey! What's up?" I held my finger up to Rosalie and smiled sheepishly as if I had to take the call. She would understand. She looked like the kind of person who get endless phone calls. I was surprised her phone hadn't rung yet.

"Hey, Bella, I was just gonna ask what time you would be here. If you want to get here early you can help me design some bumper stickers to sell at our next fundraiser!"

I rolled my eyes for Rosalie's benefit and laughed. "I'll probably be there around 7. We'll just be fashionably late." I needed time to get ready. And I didn't want to talk about fundraisers right now. Not in front of Rosalie.

"Oh, yeah, you bet. Sounds good. See you then." Alice sounded a little crushed. I didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Maybe afterward we can work on the designs." I tried to sound optimistic. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"See you soon, Bella!" I flipped my phone shut and stuffed it back in my bag.

"Sorry about that. I'm helping my friend work on a logo." It wasn't entirely a lie. I walked towards the cashier. She waved at Rosalie and glanced at me with a bit of a smirk. Obviously she was making fun of my fresh-from-the-pool wardrobe.

"Hey, Jess. This is Bella. Bell, Jess." Rosalie sounded stiff and her shoulders were definitely squared up. I mimicked her and dropped my basket on the counter, giving Jess a short nod and a curt smile. Rosalie and I chatted idly as all of my makeup was totalled up. It was well over one hundred dollars, but I didn't bat an eye as I handed over my For Emergencies Only Visa card. I'd be in so much trouble, but there was no way I was going to let them know I couldn't afford it. I grabbed my back and tucked my card back in my wallet. We walked away from Jess without a goodbye, headed back to Rosealie's car.

"I really appreciate this. I mean, I'm embarrassed, but I appreciate it." I laughed lightly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"No problem." We slid into her car again and she handed me a pen and paper. "Give me your cell and we can go grab coffee or something sometime. I'm hanging out with some friends tonight, but maybe one night this week?"

I was nodding and writing and smiling. This friendship could catapult me into Cool faster than I could google "How to put on makeup." I put the paper and pen back in her center console and caught a glimpse of a few silver wrapped condoms. Oh my god. I averted my eyes and shut the lid, pretending I hadn't seen anything. Okay, I'm a senior in high school. It's not like I haven't thought about it, but doing it is a whole other story. It didn't look like Rosalie noticed that I had noticed and we pulled back into the drugstore parking lot.

"Which one's yours?" She was driving slowly. I had to think quickly.

"Oh, just drop me off by the door, I think I'm going to grab a red bull. It's going to be a late night tonight, so." I had my hand on the door handle and waited until she slowed down enough. "Thanks again! Give me a call and we'll hang." I slid out of the car, waved once, and shut the door. I headed towards the electric doors, but she was out of the parking lot and down the street before I got there. I detoured and pulled out my key, shoving it into the rusty heap of metal that was my truck.

When I got home, I ran straight upstairs to raid my closet. I owned nothing but jeans, so the bottom half of me was dressed. I stood in front of my full length, trying to decide on a white t-shirt and a black t-shirt. Maybe my wardrobe needed a makeover next. I tossed both shirts to the floor and pulled open my drawers. I wondered if I still had that plaid skirt from Halloween two years ago. And if it even fit. I dug through piles of unorganized shirts and socks until I found the old costume. It was… short. I doubt Charlie would even let me out of the house. For kicks, I pulled it on and stood in front of the mirror with my hands on my hips. Wow. It really made my legs look long. I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and let it fall around my shoulders. I bit my bottom lip and tilted my head. Alice was still going to be the only one sitting on the couch at the party tonight. I felt pretty good about myself and I hadn't even gotten to the makeup yet.

The clock said 5:37 and I would probably need at least an hour to figure out the face paint I'd purchased, so I had to get a move on. I pulled a black Devotchka shirt off a hanger and slipped it on. Who knew band t-shirts worked with short skirts? My hair was a mess, but the t-shirt made it look intentional. My usual converses would make this look sexy, yet relaxed. I started towards the bathroom but ran back to the full length for one last look. Holy crap. I messed up my hair some more and put on my best pout face. Gah! Tonight was going to be so awesome.

After stabbing myself in one eye eight times, I stopped counting. I also pulled out a few lashes when I blinked against the eyelash curler. I had to wipe off and reapply eyeshadow three times because I looked like I had been punched instead of having the 'smokey eye effect' I'd read about on Google. When it was all done, I poked some earrings in and stepped back. The bathroom looked like a war zone for prostitutes and I quickly swiped everything off the counter and into a drawer Charlie had set aside for me. Finally I had a use for it.

I tiptoed down the stairs, grabbing my bag off of the kitchen counter and slunk back towards the door. Charlie was sitting on the couch watching a game. I didn't say anything until I was around the corner and he couldn't see me. "See you later, Dad. I'm heading out to Alice's. I may stay over there tonight, but I'll call you to let you know." I heard him shift as he looked over his shoulder and he grunted out a goodbye. So predictable and I hardly even knew the man.

When I got to Alice's house I honked twice and she came bounding out the door in her jeans and a hoodie that said, "Adopt" with a picture of a caged dog on it. I was suddenly self conscious about my exposed legs. It all looked okay alone in my room, but I was starting to feel awkward that people were actually going to see my like this. Alice slid into the seat beside me and cocked her eyebrow. She didn't say anything about my outfit, though. Thank god.

I turned down the radio and told her about my encounter with the friendly blond, Rosalie Hale. When I glanced away from the road, Alice was staring at me open-mouthed. "What!?"

"Rosalie took you to the mall and went makeup shopping? Rosalie Hale is the biggest biotch Forks Academy has the pleasure of educating. She makes fun of me all the time!"

"No, that can't be right. This girl looked like she was in her mid twenties. She can't be in high school." I kept looking back at Alice who's expression hadn't changed at all.

"Oh, she is. And she'll be at this party tonight. She'll probably be laughing at you with all of her friends, telling them about the poor, pathetic girl she helped out. Don't get sucked into them, Bella. Don't."

I waved my hand at Alice and turned up the radio as we turned into the driveway of Emmett's house. The front yard of every house in the neighborhood was at least an acre of perfectly manicured grass. Emmett's house was obscured from the road by large oak trees. We parked to the side in a line of other cars and my truck backfired. A few people mingling around turned to stare, their plastic cups clutched in their hands, cigarettes in the other. I cut the engine and grabbed my messenger bag, tossing it over my head and stepping out of the car. Alice climbed out and slammed her door, jogging to catch up with me.

The house was huge, but there was almost no unoccupied space inside or out. It was clogged with bodies. I headed for the biggest group, hoping they were gathered around the keg. Alice drank, but usually just one cup. She told me she liked to stay on her guard. I'd like to let mine down. We pushed through the bodies and were handed beers before we even asked. Even if we had asked, no one would be able to hear us. I held my cup up to Alice, who followed suit and we clinked them together. I laughed and she turned, heading towards the less crowded back yard so that we could breathe again.

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**A/N: Okay, so again, sorry about this chapter. There wasn't a lot of action and it was really freaking long, but I just wanted to get at how different Bella is becoming so quickly, and also introduce her into Edward's inner circle a little bit more before he actually finds out they are going to school together. And the next chapter is where the fun stuff happens. Chapter 4: Drunkward meets Bella at party.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hurrah, Hurrah. An update. I had a day off today so I was able to fine tune this one and then finish it out to post. I'm toying with the idea of starting a new fic out of high school. We'll see. Hope you enjoy this chapter! And if you do, review! **

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**EPOV**

I was already fucking wasted when we all pulled up to the party. We were late because of me, actually. Late to Emmett's own party at his own house. A few people were milling around outside, but Jasper had unlocked the house and the front door was standing wide open. The two girls in the back were squished up against the side of the jeep, trying not to touch me. I'd rejected their skanky asses with one pointed look when the blonder one put her hand on my thigh early on in the ride. Rosalie, of course, was up front with Emmett. They weren't all public with their shit yet, but the inner circle knew they were pretty much exclusive. The chicks were here to make Emmett look like he was still the player the Academy knew and loved. Rosalie was climbing out of the parked Jeep. She pulled her seat back for me and as I hopped down, she slammed the seat back into the face of the blondest girl who was trying to squeeze out behind me.

"Other way, cunt," Rose said and smiled sweetly.

The girl had enough sense not to argue and she scooted over, pushing her friend out Emmett's door and following suit. They toddled off together sensing that Rosalie wasn't going to let them hang around. All they really wanted was to show up with us, anyway. Hanging out was a bonus, but we'd never let anyone do that before, so their chances were slim, and they knew that in the beginning. Two blondes in short skirts and tube tops wasn't going to impress us. I mean, look the fuck around. Everyone was a blonde in a short skirt and a fucking tank top of some sort. Different versions of the same person. I was holding an unlit cigarette between my thumb and forefinger and I shoved it between my lips to fish in my pocket for my zippo. Rosalie and Emmett were heading towards the house to locate Jasper, I assumed.

That's when I saw her walk out onto the back porch. My finger stopped on the lighter and my hand cupped around the flame that hadn't yet touched the end of my Newport. She was wearing more than I had seen her wearing last time, but not by much. Her skirt was so short I could already see it off of her, and she was wearing a shirt with a band I'd never heard of before. She was clutching her solo cup and trying to look relaxed. Alice stood beside her, clearly noticing that her new acquaintance was quite the attention draw. She hadn't seen us yet. Emmett hadn't seen her, either.

"Oh my god, THAT'S the fucking girl I was telling you about, Em, from the mall," Rosalie said and pointed to the curvy, dark-haired, dog-wash girl. Bella. My jaw clenched.

Rosalie grabbed Emmett's arm and he followed her finger. He quickly looked over his shoulder at me. I was still standing there like an idiot with my cigarette dangling from my lips, my lighter still flickering away in the breeze. Emmett shrugged, smiled, turned back around and cupped his hands to his face.

"Yo, BeLLA," Emmett screamed, enunciating the last part of her name instead of the first.

Bella's head turned and I swear I could see her fingers tighten on the cup when she recognized all three of us standing below her. I finally let the flame touch my cigarette and I snapped the lighter closed. This cigarette might not cut it. Emmett motioned for Bella to come down the stairs and the few people who were at the party already sort of stopped and stared. Rosalie was furiously whispering to Emmett, I didn't know what about, but by the time Bella and Alice made it down the stairs, Rosalie had plastered a sickeningly sweet smile on her flawless face. I sidled up to the other side of Rosalie in case I needed to step in.

"Bella, I had no idea you were going to the Academy," Rose cooed at her and hugged her quickly. "It's great to see you here…"

It was a ploy, because if Bella said she was actually going to Forks High, Rosalie was going to jump her. Which was why I was standing to Rose's right. I would step in under the pretense that this chick's dad was a cop and Rosalie didn't want to be sent to jail, but really I'd be stepping in because no one should be able to kick someone's ass unless they're expecting it. And clearly Bella was not fucking expecting it. She was all innocent looking and doe eyed and obviously Alice hadn't gotten around to telling her about the rules we had. And maybe I'd be stepping in because this girl in her band t-shirt and her fucking short plaid skirt was something I didn't want to see bloodied and bruised in Emmett's back yard. Because maybe she had shown a little bit of her sarcastic personality to us earlier, and I wanted to get to know it more. But I wouldn't be revealing all that emotional shit to anyone any time soon, so for now, it was just that her dad was a cop and I didn't want anyone in our group to do jail time.

Bella smiled and Alice looked smug. She knew better than to bring a Forks High girl to our party. I relaxed when I saw Alice's expression because it meant that this girl was actually going to the Academy. I allowed myself to stare blatantly at her legs now without feeling dirty. She was seriously fucking pale, and she had a few bruises on her shins.

"Yeah, I enrolled at the end of last year, but I just moved up here a week ago," Bella smiled back at Rosalie, but Bella's smile was naively genuine. She was totally ignoring Emmett and me. We were all totally ignoring Alice, who was picking at a thread on her sweater. It wasn't even cold out here. What the fuck? I let my eyes roam back to Bella who had started to fidget.

"Well. That's great! Maybe we'll have some classes together. I was just telling Emmett about you before we got here," Rose said and pointed at Emmett. Emmett's eyes snapped up from Bella's tits, but I left mine there. I didn't have anyone to fucking answer to. Pussy whipped little shit. Rose started to introduce Bella to Emmett, but Alice interrupted.

"Oh, yeah. Bella already met Emmett, actually. He and Edward came to our charity dog wash today and practically accosted her. And they didn't even tip." Alice eyed Emmett with distaste and shoved her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. Bella's eyes fluttered closed briefly and her mouth tightened in what appeared to be a silent form of horror. She recovered pretty quickly and opened her eyes to see Rosalie's burning into her.

Rosalie recovered quickly as well and took Emmett's arm. "Bella, Emmett and I are going to get a drink. Want to meet us upstairs later? We can get to know each other before school starts. I'm so interested to know why you're coming here for your last year of high school!" Bella nodded and Rosalie giggled, wiggling her fingers at Bella. Her nails were clearly digging into Emmett's arm as she pulled him away towards the house.

My cigarette had burned most of the way down and I hadn't even smoked any of it yet. I peeled my eyes away from Bella's legs and walked away with Rosalie and Emmett. I mumbled something about it being good to see her in another slutty outfit as I passed her and walked up the steps towards the keg. She was throwing me off my game. I wanted her, but she was hanging out with fucking Alice Brandon. That shit was not cool. And she was going to come upstairs after everyone was wasted. She was walking into a roast. Rosalie was going to skin her and use her to make a fucking handbag or some shit. I clenched my fists and held them to my forehead in frustration before I reached out and took the cup that Rosalie was holding out to me.

"What's wrong, Edward? Headache?" Rosalie wasn't really concerned. She was just pretending. I wondered what the real Rosalie was like. I wondered what Emmett saw in her. She was just another blonde, tube top to me.

"Just a pain in the neck," I said and smiled back at her with a flash of my teeth and stumbled upstairs to wait for them.

Jasper was waiting in his usual chair, stoned out of his fucking mind. He actually managed to lift a hand at me when I walked in. I slumped beside him, sitting on the floor and leaning against the couch.

"Where the fuck'd you go today? I thought you'd been, like… taken," Jasper said slowly.

I laughed humorlessly at him and shook my head. "Nah. I called Emmett. I didn't want to sit around and watch you hump cars all day. And if you thought I was taken, why did you just come here and get stoned instead of looking for me, you fucking asshole," I said and reached up to shove him in the shoulder.

He shrugged sheepishly and leaned back in his chair.

"So. There's a new girl this year at school. Rosalie told her to meet us up here. I guess Alice Brandon invited her to the party," I tried to sound nonchalant about the whole situation. I resisted looking at my nails. That would be a dead give away that I was interested and trying not to be.

Jasper snorted. "Alice fucking Brandon." He shook his head. "She coming up, too?"

I glanced up at him with an arched eyebrow because that bastard had the same nonchalant tone in his voice that I had in mine. What the fuck.

He arched an eyebrow back at me and smiled. I blinked at him and he folded his arms daring me to say anything. I couldn't let this pass. At least the girl I was interested in owned a skirt.

"She wears sweaters with puppies on them, man," I said, pointing to my chest and drawing a circle where Alice's logo was. "And she, she's… I just- Alice Brandon? Really?" I always knew Jasper was wired strange. I didn't know he was that fucking strange.

I tried to think back to the Jasper that we first inducted into our small group. At first it was just Emmett and me. Rosalie caught Emmett's attention once hormones started raging in fifth grade. He'd asked her in a letter if she wanted to be in our club. She said yes and we've all been together since then.

Jasper moved up to Forks from Texas during middle school. I think his accent suckered Rosalie into inviting him in. Jasper wasn't really interested in Rosalie. They were opposites, but I felt like he kept our group grounded. Nearly six years later and we'd never let anyone else in. It's hard to make friends. It's harder to make friends that last. Jasper and I were pretty close. I felt like I could confide in him without him judging me. Emmett and Rose usually just spread your shit around school. If you had something very personal you wanted everyone to know within a day, tell Em or Rose.

"My god, man. Alice fucking Brandon. I can't believe it," I laughed, shaking my head at him. "I don't know if she's coming up. You know Rosalie. She doesn't even want the new girl to come up, she just wants to make sure she's got no competition," I said and waved my hand at the door.

As if with that motion, I had conjured her from the depths of hell, Rosalie walked in, followed by Bella. Emmett trailed behind them and Alice was nowhere in sight.

Jasper nodded once at Bella and smiled, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. Bella blushed red, but crashed on the couch I was leaning against, and raised her beer to her lips.

"So, Bella. Are you such a shitty friend that you ditched Alice, or did she decide she didn't want to hang out with you if you were going to be in the company of people who wore fur and leather?" I said, looking up at her from the floor.

This was a precarious line I was walking. I wanted Bella to think I was a good guy, but I couldn't let the group know I was into her. I wanted to help Jasper out, but I couldn't let the group know he was looking for Alice. There was no way to get it all kosher, so I sacrificed myself and played the asshole. Jasper better thank me for this.

Bella didn't act like my statement had phased her at all, and she brushed a curl of hair away from her shoulder.

"Alice is coming up in a minute. Some kid named Ben stopped her in the hallway to ask her a question about newspaper."

Jasper made a raspy breath and turned it into a cough, then cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair.

I sighed and chugged the rest of my beer, tossing the solo cup onto the table in front of me. Rosalie had started to grill Bella about her life, her friends from Phoenix, her previous school, her dad, past boyfriends, her favorite color, and a ton of other shit that would help her size up Bella's place in the population. It was pretty obvious that this girl stood out from all of the other girls at school, Rosalie included. Unfortunately, all I knew of her was skin deep. She wasn't blonde, she had long, dark, brown hair with faint highlights. It curled a bit at the ends. I wasn't sure if she did that every morning or if it was natural, but I wanted to tug one gently. She wasn't tall. She didn't wear tube tops. She knew a band that I'd never heard of.

I'd drowned out Rosalie, and was now looking at my fingernails, forgetting that I shouldn't. Anything to take my mind off of the long, smooth, milky legs that were crossed at the ankles to my right side. I nearly was to the point of sitting on my hands so I wouldn't run them up her shins when Alice peeked around the door frame.

Oh, happy distraction. "Alice. So glad you could join us. I'm just going to go change my shirt so that if you decide to drench me in anything besides sarcasm tonight, you don't ruin my favorite polo."

I stood up and hurried out of the room down the hall to the bathroom. I had to steady myself on the wall every few feet and I decided I'd had enough to drink tonight. The music was incoherent at the decibel they were playing it at downstairs. I couldn't get Bella's pale thighs out of my mind, and I needed to get rid of this fucking hard on before I went back into that room.

There was no time to track down my usuals, so I just slipped into the bathroom to jack off into the toilet. Christ, this is what it came down to. I really didn't have time to think about how ridiculous it was that I was jacking off in a bathroom when I could have easily found someone to help, because as soon as my hand was wrapped around my cock I closed my eyes and thought about nothing but Bella's thighs for about 55 seconds.

Yeah, that's as long as it took. I stood there panting with my palm flat against the wall, my head on my forearm for a few more seconds and then flushed and headed back to the room.

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**So after that slow last chapter, I feel like this has picked up a bit. Yay! Review if you know what's good for you. ;)**


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